By Phil Kurata
Washington File staff writer

Amman -- Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick head a major delegation of senior U.S. officials and lawmakers to participate in an extraordinary annual meeting of the World Economic Forum June 21-23 on the Jordanian shores of the Dead Sea.

Building on the Forum's theme, "Vision for a Shared Future," President Bush said he is sending his secretary of state and trade representative to Jordan to convey the message that the United states is eager to seize a "historic opportunity" to expand freedom and increase prosperity in the Middle East.

"A dictator in Iraq has been removed from power. The terrorists of that region are now seeing their fate, the short, unhappy life of the fugitive. Reformers in the Middle East are gaining influence, and the momentum of freedom is growing," Bush said in a speech at the University of South Carolina on May 9.

Bush said Powell, Zoellick and other senior officials would consult with political, business, academic and religious leaders from the region and other parts of the world on his proposal to create a U.S.-Middle East free trade area within a decade.

"Progress will require increased trade, the engine of economic growth," Bush said.

"Making the most of economic opportunities will require broader and better education, especially among women who have faced the greatest disadvantages. We will work to improve literacy among girls and women, building on similar efforts in Afghanistan, Morocco and Yemen," Bush said.

Bush's offer to help promote social, economic and political reform in the Middle East are encapsulated in a policy known as the Middle East Partnership Initiative, on which U.S. officials will elaborate during Forum meetings.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, one of the conference participants, said there is no question in his mind that the World Economic Forum, an independent international organization dedicated to bringing leaders from inside and outside of government together to address global issues, could play a serious role in the stabilization and development of the Middle East.

Economist, founder and president of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab said the meeting's goals include boosting the peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians.

"Following the meetings with the Arab leaders and President Bush in Sharm El-Sheikh and with the Israeli and Palestinian Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) in the Jordanian port of Aqaba, the World Economic Forum is aiming to add momentum to the peace process," Schwab said from the WEF headquarters in Geneva.

Before the conference opened, Powell met with Sharon in Jerusalem and Abbas in Jericho on June 20 about the steps each party has agreed to take in the "roadmap" for peace. Powell said he believed that if Palestinians in Gaza begin to see improvements in their daily lives, the influence of the proponents of terror would weaken.

Forum organizers say this year's meeting is taking place in Jordan because that country is a regional leader in political and social reforms.

"Among other things, it has a peace treaty with Israel and maintains friendly relations with all of its neighbors," the WEF said on its Web site (http://www.weforum.org/). The organization added that Jordanian King Abdullah "has made Jordan a leader in regional reforms, pursuing an ambitious agenda intended to raise his people's living standards and increase democracy in the region."

With regard to Iraq, Jordan's Queen Rania's plans to launch a global appeal on behalf of the country's children. L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. civilian administrator of Iraq, in tandem with Iraq's interim ministers of planning and petroleum, will speak about Iraq's reconstruction needs Sunday, June 22.

The discussions on rebuilding Iraq will focus on the role of the private sector. Specifically, the participants will take up three questions: What are the immediate needs for reconstruction; What long-term business opportunities will emerge; What are the responsibilities of the private sector when engaging in the country?

U.S. Trade Representative Zoellick will deliver a major address at the conclusion of the Forum, Monday, June 23.

"I look forward to highlighting President Bush's MEFTA (Middle East Free Trade Area) proposal to regional leaders and key opinion makers who have assembled in Jordan for the WEF," Zoellick said in a statement June 17. "As one of the only four nations with a free trade agreement with the United States, and the only Arab nation, Jordan is an excellent example of how trade can drive economic reforms and growth, creating jobs, prosperity and hope."

Zoellick's office says that Jordan's economy has experienced a "transforming impact" from market opening and liberalizing reforms related to its free trade agreement with the United States and its decision to join the World Trade Organization. His office says that the trade agreement has led to the creation of 30,000 new jobs since 1999 and encouraged a diversification of Jordanian exports.

The following key topics are among the sessions of the World Economic Forum's Middle East conference dedicated to "Visions for a Shared Future":

Competitiveness
Current Regional Politics
Europe's Role
Future of the Region
Global Trade
Improving Education
International Terrorism
Iraq: Next Steps
Peace and Reconciliation
Political Reform
Security
U.S. Foreign Policy